The Tower
by Oni No Yami Chan
Summary: An Alternate Universe where Maximus is a human, Flynnigan is a pirate, and they both miss one another by a mile.


This was possibly the worst day of Flynn's miserable life. He sat in chains, arms wrapped around his knees, staring down at the hard ground before him. He was going to die, he knew it. He was going to be put before a firing squad and mercilessly killed. The doors opened and he raised his eyes to the men entering.

Captain Maximus stood before him, and Flynn felt his blood begin to boil. Maximus. He was the reason why his day was going so horribly. Flynn had concocted a perfect escape plan, and this horrid man had ruined it. Never before had Flynn been caught, so what was to happen to him remained a mystery until Maximus spoke.

But Flynn wanted to get a few jabs in first.

"In our Sunday best, are we Captain?" he sneered.

Maximus narrowed his eyes, unamused. He was silent, watching him for a long moment before he, surprisingly, stated, "Release him."

Flynn glanced down as his arms and legs were unchained, and quickly rubbed the red marks on his wrists. "You're letting me go?" he asked, uncertainly.

"Not quite," Max answered, nodding his head to the door. "Follow me. And don't try anything."

With a small frown set on his lips, Flynn reluctantly followed Max, his future still a mystery, until they arrived at a most surprising place. Maximus' home. Flynn recognized it; it was the place he'd been attempting to loot. "What are we doing here?" he asked, looking around.

Maximus pushed the door open and motioned for him to step inside, which he did reluctantly. With the door closed behind them, Maximus turned to face Flynn. "You will live here. I'm going to be keeping a close watch on you. You can come and go as you please, but your curfew is sundown. If you are even a minute late I will send soldiers to find you and you'll be back in that cell. Dinner is served at five thirty every day, if you are late you don't eat. I will wake you for breakfast, and for luncheon you may do as you please."

Flynn stared at the other for a long moment in confusion. "Wait… What's going on?" he demanded, eyes narrowing. "Am I your personal prisoner? Your _slave_?"

Removing his hat and coat, Maximus ignored the outburst and continued to speak. "Your room is the second from the right just down the hall. There are books which you may read at your leisure. My room is just next to yours, so if you attempt to leave in the night," he turned his gaze back to Flynn. "I will hear you."

The thief's blood ran cold.

"Other than that, I would like you to spend the rest of your evening here," Maximus concluded, stepping into the sitting room.

Flynn stared for a long moment at the spot where Maximus once was before angrily following him. "Wait a minute," he snapped, glaring at the other. "No! No, I'd rather be back in that cell than live here with you!"

Maximus turned his cold eyes up to meet Flynn's, having sat in a chair. "If you go back tomorrow morning at sun-up you will be executed. We don't take kindly to piracy here."

There was a long silence between them. "So you're keeping me as your pet? Your play-thing? I'd rather die!" he snapped, storming out of the room and into the bedroom that was to be his own. He slammed the door and quickly looked around, trying to find an exit. The windows were barred, the door locked from the outside. Huffing in anger, Flynn pressed his back to the door and slid down it, pulling his knees to his chest again.

The pair didn't speak again until breakfast the next morning. Maximus knocked on the door to wake Flynn, but the moment the second knock landed the door flew open. Flynn hadn't slept that night.

They sat in silence, eating together, Flynn glaring across the table as the maid bustled around and set their food before each of them. She was quietly dismissed and Maximus began to eat slowly.

"You never told me what you wanted with me," Flynn noted, narrowing his eyes. "What am I doing here? Shouldn't I be killed? I'm a filthy pirate, after all, a nobody, a nothing. Why do you want me here?"

Maximus chewed for a few silent moments before taking a sip of tea and meeting Flynn's eyes. "I find that I couldn't bring myself to allow you to be killed. I cannot explain it. Accept this, Flynnigan Rider, as a gift from God. He has spared you, not I."

Flynn had never pegged Maximus as a religious man. For some reason the mention of God brought a different feel to the table, and the rest of the meal was spent in silence.

The moment they were finished and Maximus left for the day, Flynn went back to his room to explore a bit. He poked around the book shelf, found that there were clean clothes in the dresser — into which he quickly changed — and then he went around to all the other rooms. Nothing particularly interesting. The maids and butler kept giving him strange looks, and he wondered if perhaps they knew why he was here.

Not liking the way the house felt, Flynn left soon after.

As agreed upon, Flynn arrived back at the house before sun down, slipping inside. He'd missed dinner, but he didn't much care. He didn't need it. He was used to going without food.

When he walked past the sitting room, he noticed Maximus in his chair, reading a book silently. Flynn paused, watching him, until Maximus stated, "Why don't you grab one from your room and sit with me?"

Flynn wasn't sure how he felt about this suggestion, but he went back to his room anyway, gathering a book and sitting on the couch across from Maximus.

They read silently together until the sun was down for many hours and the oil began to flicker in the lanterns around them. Maximus was the first to close his book, slowly standing and stretching.

"Good night," he stated, bowing very slightly before leaving Flynn.

Flynn couldn't help but think what an odd man this Maximus was.

Over the next several weeks, they spent much time together. Flynn did as he was told, coming out for breakfast every morning, and eventually finding value in eating dinner with the Captain as well. He started coming home earlier and earlier until there were some days when he didn't leave the house as well. On those days Maximus tended not to leave either.

Flynn feared perhaps they were beginning to become friends.

Every once in a while, Flynn could feel Maximus staring at him as they read. He would stare for several minutes at a time, sometimes an hour, but Flynn simply let him. What harm did it do? They were companions now, at least. There was nothing wrong with staring.

Weeks turned to months, and almost a year had passed without incident. Flynn constantly asked Maximus why he kept him, and Maximus never had an answer. He kept insisting that God had spared Flynn.

God supposedly had other plans for the two men. One evening they were awoken by screams and gunfire, Flynn rushing out of his room only to be shoved back inside by Maximus. "Stay here!" he shouted.

"Are you kidding?" Flynn grunted, pushing against the door. He saw a key in the other's hand; Maximus was trying to lock him in. "No! I'm not leaving you!" he snapped, shoving hard. The door swung open and he threw himself out, panting.

Maximus and Flynn stared at one another for a long moment before Max groaned. "Fine, come on!" he cried, sprinting to the door.

Pirates. Flynn hadn't seen his brethren in a long time. Not since the raid on his own ship, not since he'd been captured. They were burning this town to the ground, the town he now called home.

Max and Flynn fought side-by-side for a while until Maximus turned to Flynn and grabbed him by his shoulders. "Stay here," he shouted over the screams. "I'm going up to the tower."

The tower was a beacon for the townspeople, and was only used when they needed to evacuate the women and children. Flynn's eyes widened slightly. "I'm coming with you," he insisted.

Maximus growled. "I shouldn't have allowed you out of the house!" he snapped. "You aren't coming!" Before Flynn could protest he ran away, beckoning to two soldiers to follow.

Flynn watched him leave, and suddenly felt a frightening jolt in his chest. Why did it feel like this would be the last time he would see him? He didn't have time to think about it, suddenly having to turn and deflect an attack from another man.

Things were going alright, the beacon was lit and the women and children started to escape as fast as they could. It seemed that the pirates were retreating.

But they weren't. They were going back to their ship to give orders. Suddenly canon balls were tearing through the town, houses and walls and bridges were being torn down, and Flynn narrowly avoided being hit with one.

"Look, the beacon!" someone beside him cried.

Flynn's blood ran cold, and he turned to look where the other was pointing.

A canon ball had just smashed into the beacon. "No," Flynn breathed. The walls began crumbling. "No, no _no NO_!" he screamed, running as fast as his legs could carry him.

By the time he got there a second canon ball had hit and the entire tower was practically rubble. "MAXIMUS!" he screamed, tearing through the rocks. "MAXIMUS!"

Flynn's fingers were cut and bleeding from the jagged stones, but he didn't care. He continued to toss them aside, until he heard a wet coughing sound from his left. He crawled over and began removing rocks until he found what he was looking for.

"Max," he breathed, staring down at the face of his now dear friend.

The other's body was crushed under the rubble. His chest, arms and head were free at least, but everything else was unsalvageable. Blood bubbled at Max's pale lips as he coughed, reaching a weak hand up to Flynn's cheek.

"I… K-knew you would c-come for me," he rasped, coughing again. "You never l-listen…"

Flynn bit down on his lip, bringing his quivering hands up to Max's hand on his cheek, cupping it in his own. "You'll be okay," he breathed. "My friend…"

Maximus shifted, whimpering in pain. "Don't move you idiot," Flynn snapped, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Flynn…" Maximus rasped, his vision blurring. "There's… S-something I… I have to te-ell you…"

"Stop talking, you're wasting strength," Flynn whispered, looking back at Max's face.

Maximus winced, looking sadly at him. "Please listen," he murmured, gasping in breath after breath. "Flynn… I… I realized… A-after a while… Why I took you in…"

Flynn shook his head. "Not this again… Because God made you?"

"No," Maximus responded, flatly, looking between Flynn's eyes. "I-it's… A sin… To lust after someone," he managed. Flynn's heart beat sped up. "Especially… a man…"

Flynn drew in a sharp breath. "You aren't religious at all," he realized, eyes widening. "You only said that because…" His eyes flooded with tears. "Because you…" He gritted his teeth. "_Why_? Why would you keep this from me?"

A short, blood-laden laugh left Max's lips. "I didn't think you'd… W-want to… Not with me…"

Flynn wiped away a few of his tears, leaning down to press his forehead to Max's. "I would have… If only you'd asked… My friend…"

Maximus gasped in a few breaths, his eyes fogged over. "Flynnigan… I love you…"

Flynn nodded weakly. "I love you, too…" He squeezed his eyes shut, his tears dripping down Max's cheeks and lacing with the blood and grime there. "I love you… God, I fucking love you, why didn't you SAY something?"

Maximus was quiet a moment. "Not here," he mumbled. "Not now… Not in this life time." Flynn pulled away just a little to look down at the other. Max's eyes were beginning to close.

"D-don't leave me here, Maximus," Flynn whispered, shaking him very slightly. "Please… Please, don't…"

Breathing shakily, Maximus gasped, "I'll love you forever still, Flynn… We missed one another in this life time, but… I'll wait for you in the next…"

Flynn sobbed, bowing his head slightly and nodding a bit. "Yes," he whispered. "Wait for me. You'd _better_ wait for me, you bastard!" he shouted before planting a kiss to Max's lips. Maximus leaned into the kiss very slightly. It was salty, metallic and cold, but there was so much desperate love.

And as they kissed, Maximus passed away.

Flynn slowly pulled back, letting Maximus' limp hand rest on his still chest. With quivering lips and quaking hands, he brushed a stray bloody blond lock out of Maximus' face.

"Wait for me…"


End file.
